<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Crazy Little Thing by TakeItEezy</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764251">Crazy Little Thing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakeItEezy/pseuds/TakeItEezy'>TakeItEezy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Addicted to You [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abuse, Adoption, Child Abuse, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Homelessness, Human Aziraphale (Good Omens), Human Crowley (Good Omens), Human Gabriel (Good Omens), Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Ineffable Idiots (Good Omens), M/M, Mental Health Issues, Murder, No Smut, Physical Abuse, Suicide, The Them - Freeform, will add more as the story unfolds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:00:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24764251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TakeItEezy/pseuds/TakeItEezy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Crowley and Aziraphale are working to become free from their fear and the pain from the past as newlyweds. Then, Crowley’s biggest secret appears. Will this ruin their relationship? Will Crowley trust in others ability to change?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aziraphale &amp; Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Addicted to You [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1529627</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It started off as a regular day.<br/>
Crowley woke up and rolled over, smiling when he saw his husband peacefully sleeping beside him.<br/>
His husband. He could finally say it. Slowly, he twisted the ring he had been given only a few weeks before, thinking about how nervous he had been, how he fidgeted even on the altar in front of a small group of friends. It had been a surreal occasion for Crowley. He never thought anyone would want to be stuck with him for the rest of their lives, yet there he was. Solomon Aziraphale. A stubborn, kind, wonderful person who had, for some goddamn reason, fallen in love with him, a cold, reserved, and sarcastic asshole.<br/>
With a sigh, he rolled out of bed and stretched his spine. A small meow sounded from the side of the bed, and Crowley bent down to pet the snow white cat with glowing green eyes on the head.<br/>
“Hello, Moonlight.” He said, smiling as the kitten purred. Moonlight was just as charming as the first time they had met him.<br/>
Slowly, Crowley made his way downstairs and fed Moonlight before starting to make breakfast. The cat thanked him with a small “brr!” before eating. A few minutes later, just as he was finishing up making his food, in shuffled Aziraphale. He wore a fluffy white robe, his white, striped pajamas, and his tan slippers.<br/>
“Funny how you always come in when I finish making breakfast, huh?” Crowley said with a small smirk. His husband hummed and made his way to the glasses and mugs cabinet, grabbing his favorite white mug before giving Crowley a small kiss on the cheek. He started up the electric kettle and patiently waited for it to boil.<br/>
In a few minutes, Aziraphale and Crowley sat at the table across from each other, Crowley scrolling through his phone while the blond stared lovingly at him.<br/>
“Happy one month, love.” Aziraphale said, smiling at the (now bleached and dyed) redhead.<br/>
“Oh, THAT’S what I was forgetting!” Crowley smiled, a sight that would have confused Aziraphale a great deal when they had first met.<br/>
“Oh...” Aziraphale looked down, a little upset, and Crowley knew he had to do something to salvage the moment.<br/>
“Angel, I was joking.” He sighed and held out his hand, which Aziraphale hesitantly took. “Of course I didn’t forget. I even have something planned for lunch.”<br/>
‘Remember to make lunch special...’ thought Crowley to himself. He had, in fact, forgotten.<br/>
“Oh! Oh, good.” Solomon sighed in relief, his smile coming back in full. “Of course.”<br/>
“I guess I should get dressed, then.” Aziraphale stood up and stretched, then went back to their room to change into his normal clothes. When he came back down, his clothes were immaculate and proper, just as they always were.<br/>
After a moment, an alarm shook the men out of their daze.<br/>
“Oh, shit! I’m going to be late!” Crowley yelped before gulping down the rest of his scalding hot coffee.<br/>
Both men scurried to get their things as quickly as possible without complete catastrophe, Aziraphale almost tripping over Moonlight twice before they were finally out the door.<br/>
“I’m driving.” Crowley said, holding the keys above his head.<br/>
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, my dear boy?”<br/>
“Well, at the speed you normally drive at, I’ll be just in time to turn around and go back home.”<br/>
Aziraphale rolled his eyes and got into the passengers side. He knew that his husband would be able to get them to their workplaces in time, but he also knew the speed limit was merely a suggestion to Crowley. He usually gripped his seatbelt tightly while the other man drove as if he was holding onto it for dear life.<br/>
Within about 10 minutes, Crowley was parking in his new spot behind the flower shop.<br/>
“Told you I’d get us here on time.” Crowley said haughtily as he opened the passenger side door for his husband.<br/>
“It’s a miracle I didn’t lose my breakfast.” Aziraphale said, straightening his bow tie.<br/>
“If you threw up in my car,” Crowley looked at him over the rim of his dark sunglasses, his light brown eyes sparkling in amusement, “I think I’d require a divorce.”<br/>
“Oh, good luck with that.” Aziraphale smiled. “I own half of this city and its lawyers.”<br/>
Crowley grabbed Aziraphale’s wrist, spinning him around and kissing him gently before heading into the shop.<br/>
——<br/>
Both men were hardly able to focus on their jobs that day.<br/>
Crowley had immediately called Aziraphale’s favorite sushi place and got a reservation. He spent the whole morning worrying about whether the plates would be clean enough, whether the food would be good enough, whether he dressed well enough for both the restaurant AND the date. It felt like he was going on his first real date with Aziraphale all over again. It would be their first date since they had gotten married, so it was partially similar.<br/>
Aziraphale had spent his whole morning watching the clock. He tried to read his favorite books, but to no avail. He even tried a new book that people had been talking about. The book seemed interesting, but still not interesting enough. The world seemed agonizingly slow to him. The blond was so distracted that he almost let someone buy a book. Someone who looked like they wouldn’t treat the book with the respect it needed. The customer ended up stomping out of the shop, rambling about how he was never going to set foot in the shop again. Aziraphale huffed, then strode over to one of the bookshelves and slipped the book in. He kept a very loose system in his shop as to how he sorted his books. To anyone else, it would simply look like chaos, but to Aziraphale (and now Crowley), it was easy to find what they were looking for.<br/>
Aziraphale heard the door open and tensed up, ready to shoo another customer away, however, when he heard the person come in humming Queen songs, he knew exactly who it was.<br/>
“Crowley!”<br/>
—<br/>
The date went without a hitch, to Crowley’s delight. It was everything Aziraphale could have hoped for. Crowley even took off his sun glasses, revealing his light brown eyes. In the dim candlelight, they almost looked like a dark yellow. It was obvious the red-head was nervous, but Aziraphale didn’t draw attention to it. He knew if he pointed it out, his husband would get even more tense, so he lead the conversation on to topics that Crowley loved to talk about, botany, music, and their future.<br/>
After the date, the two men decided to take the rest of the day off. Crowley lied and said that he was feeling very ill from the lunch that they ate, and Aziraphale simply didn’t reopen the shop.<br/>
They spent the most of the day enjoying Saint James park, sitting at the pond and talking. As the sun set, they saw a girl of about 10 staring at them. She was dressed in a rather simple fashion, a green hoodie covering a brown shirt, and jeans that looked torn and weathered. Her hair was tied up in a simple ponytail with strands of dark red hair hanging loose.<br/>
“Is there something on my face?” Aziraphale asked, quite worried at the intensity of her staring.<br/>
“No,” Crowley said, confused, “why?”<br/>
“There’s a girl over there who keeps staring at us. She won’t stop.”<br/>
As soon as Crowley caught sight of the girl, he tensed up and his eyes went wide.<br/>
“Are you okay, my dear boy?” Aziraphale started to get worried. “Do you know her?”<br/>
“Angel, we need to leave.” He said, springing up and practically running to the Bentley.<br/>
“Was she part of-“<br/>
“Don’t ask, please.” Crowley said quietly, fishing his keys from his pocket. “We need to get out of here, now.”<br/>
Aziraphale looked back and saw that the girl was following them.<br/>
“Crowley, why is she following us?”<br/>
“Shit!” Crowley muttered to himself as he unlocked the door and threw himself inside.<br/>
Within minutes, they were miraculously out of the city and almost at their cottage.<br/>
Moonlight greeted them at the door, rubbing against Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s legs as they hurried inside. Quickly, Crowley spun around and locked the door.<br/>
“My dear boy, what was that about?” Aziraphale asked, still shocked at Crowley’s reaction.<br/>
“You really don’t want to know, angel. Please stop asking.”<br/>
“Alright, I’ll drop the topic. I’m just worried about you, my love.”<br/>
“I’m... fine.” Crowley said, obviously not fine. For a moment, Aziraphale scanned his face before his shoulders began to relax.<br/>
“Alright. I’m going to go read. There is this lovely new book I got a couple of days ago. Care to join me in the living room?”<br/>
With that, the two men pretended that nothing had ever happened. Aziraphale sat down on the couch and began to read. A few minutes later, Crowley came in, grabbed his laptop, then plopped down on the couch and laid his head on his husbands lap. Aziraphale had almost forgotten their strange encounter when they heard a knock on the door.<br/>
“I’ll get it, dear.” Aziraphale sighed and brushed himself off.<br/>
“Hmph.” Crowley grunted as he lifted his head so that his husband could get up.<br/>
When Aziraphale opened the door, at first it looked like no one was there. Then, he looked a little lower and saw the lanky child from the park standing right in front of him, a backpack slung around her shoulders. She fidgeted nervously as she looked inside of the house.<br/>
“Hello. Can I help you?” Aziraphale asked, smiling down at her.<br/>
“Uh, hi!” She said, smiling back. “Does... uh...” she looked down at a piece of paper, “Anthony Crowley live here?”<br/>
“Yes! This is the right house.” Aziraphale called for Crowley, who began slowly sauntering over, yawning. “Say, child, where are your parents?”<br/>
As soon as Crowley saw the child, he froze.<br/>
The girl smiled at Crowley.<br/>
“Hello, Anthony! I don’t know if you remember me. My name is Ivy. I’m your daughter.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys!<br/>FINALLY! Another part in Addicted To You!! It’s been a long time coming. I scrapped two ideas and had to completely rebuild from the ground up. It took me a LONG time, but I was finally able to piece together a loose plot line, but BOY this story is going to be intense. <br/>I know Ivy is an OC, and that scares a lot of people away, when one of the main characters is also an OC, but I promise you, the boys will get PLENTY  of screen time. <br/>Thank you to my beautiful and wonderful beta ShesAKillerQueen98 for letting me talk through the plot and for filling in the holes as well as editing the chapter. I don’t think the rest of the chapters will be this long, sorry! I promise you that there will be an update every two weeks or so!<br/>Thank you guys for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a moment, Aziraphale couldn’t move. His brain could hardly process what had just been said.<br/>
“D-Daughter?” Aziraphale stammered.<br/>
“Yup!” Before either one of the two men could say a word, she had slipped inside of the house, threw her backpack by the door, and went into the kitchen. Aziraphale spun around to look at his husband.<br/>
“Crowley?” He said, surprise and a slight hint of anger in his voice. “Is it true?” Crowley looked at his husband, pale faced and obviously horrified.<br/>
“I- well, not I, but- angel, just- I didn’t mean-“ Crowley stumbled over his words, unable to form a sentence.<br/>
“You had a child?” Aziraphale asked, slightly afraid of the answer. After a moment, Crowley shrugged.<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“When were you-“<br/>
Something fell in the kitchen and Crowley ran into the other room. The salt shaker was on the ground, while Ivy was sitting on one of the kitchen counters and eating the cereal out of the box.<br/>
“What the fuck are you doing?” Crowley grabbed the cereal box out of her hands.<br/>
“I’m eating.” She said calmly, unafraid of the anger in Crowley’s eyes. “Lovely how you got married to a man without telling him you had a kid.”<br/>
“You need to leave.” Crowley growled, placing the cereal box on the counter.<br/>
“But, I-“<br/>
“Leave!” He shouted, clenching his fists tightly. “Or I swear to God-“<br/>
“Crowley,” Aziraphale’s tone was strange, polite but with an undercurrent of fury, “let’s be reasonable here. She is your... child, after all.” The word was forced through his lips with a burst of anger that even Ivy detected. Her eyes went wide and she swallowed her mouthful of cereal.<br/>
“I- I’m sorry to disturb you two.” She looked down at her hands, fidgeting once again, but when she looked up, her face was unreadable. “I’ll be out of your hair in a mo’.”<br/>
Ivy adjusted her hoodie and slipped off the counter. When she got to the door, Aziraphale cleared his throat.<br/>
“Ivy?” He said gently.<br/>
“Hm?” She looked back at him, her face still devoid of emotion.<br/>
“I would like to offer my deepest apologies for my husband’s behavior.” He smiled at the girl, and her mouth dropped open. “Can we offer you a ride back to your guardians home?”<br/>
“I’ve actually been living on the streets.” She shrugged. “Was gonna ask if I could stay with you.” Ivy narrowed her eyes at Crowley, who was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. “However, seeing that that isn’t an option-“<br/>
“Oh, my dear girl, of course you are welcome to stay here for however long you need.” Aziraphale smiled, his hands tightly clasped together.<br/>
“What?” She said incredulously.<br/>
“WHAT?!” Crowley said, shocked and horrified at what Aziraphale had just said.<br/>
“Crowley?” Aziraphale turned to his husband, his smile growing strained. “May I have a word with you, dear?”<br/>
“I guess.” Crowley rubbed the back of his neck and followed Aziraphale upstairs to their bedroom. As soon as they closed the door, Aziraphale spun around, his cheeks pink, his eyes filled with rage.<br/>
“What in the WORLD was that about?!” He growled.<br/>
“I-I can explain!” Crowley stammered. “It wasn’t-“<br/>
“Not about the bloody child, Anthony,” he tried to keep his voice down, but the blond was trembling in rage, “but the fact that you were willing to let a poor girl, let alone your own flesh and blood, suffer alone!”<br/>
“What if she was just some random girl who came in and asked for a place to stay?“ Crowley countered. “Would you be so willing to let her in? To let her eat your food, sleep in your bed-“<br/>
“Yes!” Aziraphale crossed his arms, his eyes shooting daggers at Crowley, who was currently at a loss for words. “She’s a human being who needs help. I don’t care if she’s your child or not, I am NOT going to let a child of all of 10 sleep in the streets, not if I can help it!”<br/>
“What if she steals from us and disappears off into the night, huh?”<br/>
“We have MORE than enough for 10 lifetimes. Why can’t you look beyond your own selfishness and see that-“ Aziraphale closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “That girl is obviously in a rough patch, and she came to us for help. I will NOT turn my back on a suffering child.”<br/>
“Look, angel-“<br/>
“She is staying with us whether you like it or not!” Aziraphale said through gritted teeth. “And if you try to kick her out, you’ll be sleeping on the couch for a month.”<br/>
“I...” Crowley sighed and looked down. “I’m sorry, angel. I just... she’s not a part of my life that I’d like to talk about. It was at a time of-of indecision and extreme stress- I couldn’t think straight and she just...” he shrugged, “happened.”<br/>
“Children don’t just ‘happen,’ Crowley.” Aziraphale said slowly and carefully. “I think you owe me and Ivy both an explanation as to why you kept her a secret.”<br/>
Crowley ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes, then nodded.<br/>
“I suppose I do.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey, guys! This story is still in its first few chapters, so it’s gathering momentum for bigger things to happen in the future. I personally like Ivy a lot as a character, and I can’t wait for you guys to fully meet her!! Her story will be told in chapters further on in the story, don’t worry.<br/>“But, TakeItEezy,” you may say, “why has she come to Aziraphale and Crowley NOW?”<br/>Don’t worry, it’ll all be explained in time!<br/>Thank you, as always, to my wonderful beta ShesAKillerQueen98 for being there for me and supporting me through this series. Go check out her stuff! She’s a great friend and great writer!<br/>Remember to leave kudos if you like, and comments are always super appreciated!!<br/>Love you all!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: HOMOPHOBIA/SLUR, Sliiiight NSFW (not explicit but a little more than “implied”), but also watch out for dub-consent (NOT BETWEEN MAIN CHARACTERS OR WITH IVY)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ivy and Aziraphale stood in front of Crowley, both demanding answers. <br/>“It... you...” Crowley sighed, grabbing his sunglasses out of the front of his shirt and shoving them on, “it was an accident. That’s all.” <br/>“Well, that part I was able to guess.” Ivy rolled her eyes, arms crossed, her foot beginning to tap. “What I want to know is why you are so insistent on getting this ‘accident’ out of your life.”<br/>Crowley looked out the window and away from her, avoiding her piercing stare. <br/>“I shouldn’t have to explain myself to an 11 year old girl-“<br/>“Except this one is your CHILD!” Ivy’s voice shook in anger. <br/>“I didn’t want you.” Crowley sneered at her. <br/>“Crowley, how dare you-“ Aziraphale was cut off. <br/>“STOP BLAMING ME FOR MY BIRTH!” She shouted, eyes filled with tears. She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was trying to comfort herself. “I didn’t want to be born, I just was. Now, I’m stuck here with a father who hates me, and a mother who probably feels the same.”<br/>“I...” Crowley pinched the bridge of his nose as Aziraphale looked at him with so much unbridled rage that he could practically feel it radiating off of him. “I don’t hate you.”<br/>Ivy looked up at him, shaking with emotion, a facial expression of utter pain written all over her face. <br/>“What?” She whispered, voice quivering. <br/>“I don’t hate you, Ivy.” Crowley repeated. “I never said I did.” <br/>He walked over to the sofa, threw himself down onto it, and put his head in his hands.<br/>“Explain yourself, Crowley.” Aziraphale said coldly, walking over to Ivy and putting a hand on her shoulder. “If it’s suitable, Ivy and I will be staying here. If not, then I will find a hotel we can stay at. I am NOT letting this girl sleep on the streets for one more night.” The girl in question looked up at him in shock. <br/>“Thank you, sir.” Ivy sniffled and wiped her eyes, her body wracked with sobs. <br/>“Aziraphale, if you please.” He gave her a warm smile before looking up at his partner and glaring. “Now speak, Anthony.”<br/>The demand felt like it cut into Crowley’s very soul. The way Aziraphale said it was so filled with hatred that it frightened him. It made him question whether or not his partner would ever see him in the same way again. <br/>“My parents and I... we had a complicated relationship.” Crowley started.<br/>—<br/>14 years prior<br/>Anthony stood in front of his parents as they scowled down at him. His eye was blackened and his knuckles were red. <br/>“It wasn’t my fault!” The boy tried to defend himself. “He was hurting the Devries boy, Henry, and I just wanted to help him.”<br/>“Henry Devries is a homosexual, Anthony.” His father shook his head. “Perverts like that deserve what they get.”<br/>“But he hasn’t done anything wrong!” Anthony cried, and his mother turned in disgust and walked away, leaving the boy with his furious father. <br/>“Son, these people...” the man took a breath to steady himself, “these people are no better than animals. They grow up and do unspeakable things, ungodly things that should never be done. Homosexuals are... unnatural.” He gave Anthony a hard look. “Remember that, boy.” <br/>Later that night, Anthony threw all of his belongings into his backpack, crept out the window, and never looked back. <br/>—<br/>“I grew up in a dysfunctional family, and I didn’t want to be like them.” Crowley said, blinking back the memory. “I ran away from them 14 years ago. Best decision I’ve ever made.” There was a pause. “Then, I moved in with your mother.”<br/>—<br/>Sarah was a kind soul. She was always beside Anthony when he got into fights. When the going got tough, she was always there to try to help him out of his rough patch. She would vouch for him in front of the principal whenever he got in trouble. She was always one of the most interesting people he talked to. She had the best stories and knew the best jokes to tell. He used several of them to gain friends, and soon after he had moved in, he began to build his own family with him and Sarah at the center. They shared everything with each other, and Anthony truly felt like he didn’t want a life without her. <br/>—<br/>“We started dating a year after I had moved in.” Crowley’s cheeks went pink. “We made a good pair. A good team.”<br/>“What happened?” Ivy asked, her trembling was now almost nonexistent. <br/>“Well,” he gestured towards Aziraphale. “I came out.”<br/>—<br/>12 Years Prior<br/>“You’re... gay.” Sarah looked at him in disbelief. <br/>“Uh, yeah.” Anthony shrugged. “Figured I should tell you.”<br/>“‘Figured I should...’ Anthony, we are DATING!” There were tears in her eyes. “What did I do wrong?”<br/>He looked at her in shock. This was not what he thought would happen at all. <br/>“Nothing, Sarah, it’s not you-“<br/>“Of course it’s me!” She cried, throwing her hands up into the air. “Was it that I was showing affection in public? I can stop if you want-“<br/>“Sarah-“<br/>“Have I not done enough to please you?” Sarah said, grabbing his arm. “Was I going too slow?”<br/>“No! Of course not-“<br/>“I was, wasn’t I?” She said. Suddenly she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him towards her. “I’ll show you what I can do. What a WOMAN can do.” <br/>Anthony’s eyes widened as she sat him down on the bed. Slowly, she ran her hands up his thighs and he swallowed nervously. <br/>“I’ve-I’ve n-never...” he stammered as she pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him. <br/>“Don’t worry, Anthony.” A slight smile appeared on her lips. “I know. Let me show you.” <br/>—<br/>“She was upset, obviously.” Crowley looked at the ground, trying to ignore the bombardment of memories. “A few weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. I was the father.”<br/>“Dear lord...” Aziraphale whispered, his face pale in shock as to what he was hearing. <br/>“I tried to love her. I really tried.” Crowley shook his head. “But I couldn’t.” <br/>—<br/>10 Years Prior<br/>“GET OUT!” Sarah shoved him out of the door, her face streaked with tears. <br/>“Sarah, I’m sorry I forgot-“<br/>“OUT, YOU STUPID FAG!” She screamed and threw a bag at him. <br/>“Please, it wasn’t what it seemed! Devin and I were just wrestling!” He protested. “I’m not lying!” <br/>“You lead me to believe that you really loved me.” Her voice shook in rage. “Then you went off and FUCKED YOUR BEST FRIEND!” <br/>“Sarah, we didn’t do anything, I swear!” <br/>“I don’t care what you say.” She sniffled. “I want you out of my house by tomorrow.”<br/>“Sarah,” Anthony looked at her in shock, “you know I have nowhere to go.”<br/>“I don’t care...” Sarah wiped her eyes and crossed her arms. “Just get out.”<br/>—<br/>“Her last words to me were ‘I never want to see your fucking face ever again.’” Crowley closed his eyes and leaned back. “I failed her.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! How are y’all doin’? <br/>I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite the behavior of certain characters (ahem, Sarah and Crowley’s parents). I kind of like writing characters that you can hate. I have no idea why. Also, for all of the people who don’t like NSFW stuff, DON’T WORRY ABOUT NSFW STUFF IN THE FUTURE!! I don’t do smut. Sorry!!<br/>This was all just the introduction, the plot will commence next chapter and OH BOY is this going to be a wild ride!! <br/>Thank you to my lovely beta ShesAKillerQueen98! She’s amazing and she’s got some pretty great stories up. Go check her out! <br/>Please give me kudos or a comment or both if you liked it! They give me LIFE!!<br/>Love you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Child neglect, teenage parent<br/>Stay safe, guys!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No.” <br/>Crowley looked at Ivy in shock. <br/>“What do you mean, ‘no’?” <br/>“You didn’t fail her.” She said. “She was probably just confused.”<br/>“No,” Crowley shook his head, “no, your mother-“<br/>“I remember bits a pieces from when me and her lived together, you know.” Ivy said, voice sounding distant, her face blank. “The three years I lived with her. From what I remember, she loved me.”<br/>Crowley bit his lip. <br/>“I never understood why they took me from her. Before they did, she left me with a picture of you and her. She said if I ever got lost, I could either look for her or Anthony Cowl.”<br/>Crowley flinched and Aziraphale turned to him in shock. <br/>“Cowl?” Aziraphale looked at him, then looked down at the ground and shook his head. “No. I don’t want to know. We have quite a bit to talk about tomorrow morning.” <br/>“Um, Aziraphale?” Ivy smiled at him. <br/>“Yes, my dear girl?” <br/>“Could I get something to eat out of the fridge? I haven’t eaten in days.”<br/>“Of course!” Aziraphale smiled, his eyes tired. “After that, however, you’re going to bed.” <br/>“But it’s only 11:00! I’ve been up since 3 AM most days.“ She complained, but Aziraphale shook his head. <br/>“In order to stay, I would like you to go to bed at a reasonable time.”<br/>“But-“<br/>“No ‘but’s, young lady!” He looked at her sternly as she sighed. <br/>“Fine.” She rolled her eyes, then waltzed over to the fridge and grabbed some milk. After a minute, she decided to also take out some peanut butter, then slammed the door, causing the already-tense-as-can-be Crowley to jump. <br/>“You don’t have to slam it that hard!” Crowley hissed, but a quick, stern look from Aziraphale told him that he should probably shut up. Instead, he decided to get the Hell out of dodge. “I’m going to bed, angel. Goodnight.”<br/>“Goodnight, my dear.” Crowley noticed a softness in his voice, then looked up to see Aziraphale smile at him before he turned away. Thank God, he wasn’t furious anymore. <br/>Crowley began to walk up the stairs when he heard talking. For a moment, he paused. <br/>“- just a little tetchy sometimes, my dear girl,” Aziraphale said quietly, “he doesn’t hate you.”<br/>“Even if he does, I’m used to it.” Ivy sounded so nonchalant about being hated by her own father. “Plenty of people didn’t like me when they tried to adopt me. I’m a difficult child.”<br/>“Don’t say such things!” Aziraphale said, appalled. <br/>“Well, it’s true. There was one couple who took me in.” She recounted. “Nice enough people. But they didn’t care about me one bit.”<br/>“I’m sure that’s not true-“<br/>“I fell down the stairs and broke my leg. They looked at me, then continued watching their TV shows.” <br/>“Dear Lord-“<br/>“They didn’t go to the hospital with me. When they drove me home, they yelled at me about how much money they had wasted on me.”<br/>The feeling of shame hit Crowley like a ton of bricks. If he had been responsible, Ivy might not have had to go through what she did. He snuck the rest of the way to his and Aziraphale’s room and crawled into bed. <br/>Despite how exhausted he was, he couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind wandered off to thoughts of him staying with Sarah after the fight. Maybe he could have kept Ivy safe. If he had just acted responsibly, none of this shit would have happened to this kid, HIS kid. <br/>When Aziraphale walked through the door and got into bed, Crowley turned to him. <br/>“There... was something I left out.” Crowley said hesitantly. Aziraphale jumped in surprise. <br/>“Crowley!” He laughed quietly to himself. “What in Heavens name are you doing awake?”<br/>“The last time I saw Sarah...” Crowley sighed, “that wasn’t the last time I saw Ivy.”<br/>—</p><p>8 Years Ago<br/>Knock knock knock. <br/>Anthony had come back to Sarah’s house to apologize for whatever he had done wrong. He wanted to get sober, he wanted to start over, to try to be with her again. He had even changed his name to Anthony Crowley to signify a new chapter. She had probably changed, matured over the years, and would now be ready to start a life with someone. <br/>When the door opened, nobody was there. At least, nobody at eye level. <br/>“Hello?” A small voice said. Crowley looked down and was greeted by a sight he would never forget. <br/>There was a 3 year old child holding the door open. She was dressed in a tight fitting pink shirt and a tutu. This would have been a cute sight had the little girl not been emaciated. She shivered despite the fact it was a warm, spring day, and her lips were so dry they were cracked in several places. Her skin was pale, as if she had never been outside in her entire, short life. He stared at her, horrified, until she spoke again. <br/>“Are you here to take me away?” She asked, cocking her head. <br/>“Y-yes.” Crowley answered before he could stop himself. “Come with me.”<br/>As soon as they got into the car, Crowley hit the gas and headed to the nearest hospital. <br/>This girl needed help. And she needed help immediately. <br/>—</p><p>“I brought her to the hospital.” Crowley stared at the ceiling. “I dumped her there. I told the staff what they needed to know and got the Hell out of that place as quickly as I could. Then, I tried to forget.”<br/>“I’m guessing that’s where most of the... the drugs came into play?” Aziraphale asked, not looking at Crowley. <br/>“You got it.”<br/>“And Sarah?” <br/>“Well, after I took Ivy to the hospital, Sarah found out. Then, she filed a restraining order. Haven’t seen her since.” <br/>“Well, good riddance if you ask me.” <br/>Crowley looked at Aziraphale, shocked. The man just rolled his eyes. <br/>“She was obviously not fit to be a partner, let alone a mother.” With a sigh, Aziraphale continued. “And you did what you had to. Even going to Sarah’s house after how she treated you showed a massive amount of courage-“<br/>“I went there to apologize like a coward-“ <br/>“Cowards don’t try to face their fears, my dear boy-“<br/>“I didn’t face my fear.” Crowley clenched his fists. “I dropped Ivy off and left her there. I could have helped her.”<br/>“You were 19!” Aziraphale argued, turning to face Crowley. “19 year olds are usually out with their friends, doing...” he thought for a moment, “whatever 19 year olds do, and that is certainly NOT raising a child. Nobody is mature enough to raise a child until they’re... they’re...” Aziraphale was obviously struggling. <br/>“I get it, Aziraphale, I do.” Crowley sighed. “I just... I could have done better. But I’m an asshole. An irresponsible asshole. I even tried to kick her out of the house!” <br/>“Well, you’re right about that.” Aziraphale closed his eyes. “You are an irresponsible asshole. But you’re mature enough to admit it. That’s one step farther than most people get in their lifetimes. I’m proud of you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! I am so sorry for not updating for so long!! I lost track of time. <br/>I am trying to stockpile some chapters so I can post more regularly, but recently I’ve been having migraines almost every day and my migraine medication makes me feel really sick. I’m still going to try to post every week or so, maybe on Tuesdays? <br/>Thank you so much to my wonderful beta ShesAKillerQueen98! She is awesome and you should really check out her work! <br/>Thank you all so much for reading!! If you’re liking this and want to see more, leave some kudos! If you wanna discuss things with me, you can comment and I’ll get back to you ASAP!<br/>Love you all!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aziraphale looked at Crowley, gun in hand, tears running down his face. Slowly, he pointed the gun at his chin. <br/>“Solomon, please listen to me-“ Crowley begged him, blinking back tears as he walked towards his significant other. <br/>“This is all your fault!” Aziraphale cried before pulling the trigger. <br/>BANG!<br/>—<br/>Crowley woke up with a start. <br/>“ZIRA!” He screamed and sat up in bed, breathing heavily. The lump next to him responded with a “hmm?” and he sighed in relief. <br/>“Just a dream.” He said to himself as he pushed the memories out of his head. After a moment of laying in bed staring at the ceiling, he sighed and got up, stumbling down the stairs and over to the liquor cabinet. <br/>“Bad night, huh?” Crowley jumped and spun around, his heart beating 100 miles per hour. Ivy sat on the sofa next to a dim light. She had a pencil in one hand and a sketchbook in her lap. Her hair was messy and her eyes deep set from exhaustion. <br/>“What the Hell are you doing out here?” Crowley hissed. <br/>“I could ask you the same question.” <br/>For a moment, there was a stare off between the two, both too stubborn to look away. Crowley was the one who broke the gaze. He sighed and turned back to the cabinet, getting out a bottle of cheap scotch. It tasted disgusting, but it always seemed to put him into a dreamless sleep. <br/>“You screamed.” Ivy said matter-of-factly. “So, I’m guessing you had a nightmare. That, or you were doing something I really don’t want to know about.”<br/>For a moment, Crowley debated on whether to push back. He wanted Ivy to leave knowing that she left a bad person behind, but it was no use. He had no energy left to fight. <br/>“Nothing fun. Just a nightmare. You want some?” He took down two glasses, one for her and one for him. <br/>“I’ll have a few, sure.” Crowley was slightly taken-a-back when he heard her response, but still he poured one for him and one for her. He handed the glass over to Ivy, who drank it as soon as it was in her hands. <br/>“Wow,” her face scrunched up, “this is some shit scotch.”<br/>“It’ll knock you out like a baseball bat to the back of your head.” He told her before downing the entire glass in one go. “So, it’s the lesser of two evils.” <br/>“The other evil being the nightmares?” She asked as she took another sip. <br/>“Yup.” Crowley poured himself another glass and gulped it down again. Ivy gave him a strange look. “What?”<br/>“I have nightmares, too.” She said, her voice sounding odd. <br/>“What are they about? The boogie monster?” He smirked, and Ivy’s face went blank. <br/>“Nothing. Or something. Can’t remember.” She shrugged then drank the rest of the scotch. As she lifted her arm, a dark discoloration was uncovered on her shoulder. <br/>“What’s that from?” Crowley looked pointedly at the bruise which she quickly covered up. <br/>“Someone grabbed my shoulder.” Ivy said quickly before trying to swipe the bottle of scotch out of his hands. He lifted it out of her reach as he poured himself yet another glass. “You should slow down.”<br/>“And you shouldn’t be telling me what to do.” He rolled his eyes as he drank the next glass like water.<br/>“Okay, you’ve had enough.” She said, taking his glass away from him before he could pour another. <br/>“You’re quite annoying, you know.” He said, glaring at her. <br/>“So I’ve heard.” <br/>For a moment, there was silence. <br/>“Who grabbed your arm?” Crowley asked. “I know it wasn’t another kid. That bruise was too big.”<br/>“Take a guess.” Ivy’s voice was flat, her face blank. It took a few moments for Crowley’s tired brain to come to the correct conclusion. <br/>“Oh. So, that’s why you’re here.” Crowley said, his mind far away. She hummed in response. “And you think I’m better than them?” <br/>“Well, I hoped so. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” <br/>“You DID run away...” his head snapped back to her. “You know, I could get in trouble for kidnapping you.”<br/>“I... I didn’t think about that.” <br/>“Obviously.” <br/>Ivy stared at him, unblinking, for a few seconds before scribbling down something in her sketchbook. She tore out the page and handed it to Crowley as he looked at her in confusion. <br/>“What’s this?” He raised an eyebrow. <br/>“His number.” She said before throwing herself on to the couch. Crowley turned the paper in his hand. On it was scrawled a name and a phone number. <br/>“Craig Davis.” He muttered to himself, then shook his head and sighed. This was a problem for the morning. He couldn’t handle it now. After one more glass, he put the bottle back in the cabinet and went back to bed. <br/>—<br/>“Crowley, my love,” a sweet, calming voice called to him through his haze of sleepiness, “how is your breakfast?” <br/>Crowley looked down at the plate and realized he hadn’t touched a single thing. His husband looked at him with a teasing expression and smiled. <br/>“Oh, it’s fine.” Crowley said, beginning to scarf down the meal. <br/>“Were you thinking about something?” Aziraphale inquired. Crowley nodded, but didn’t elaborate. “Alright, please tell me when you’re ready.” <br/>A thump from the living room surprised both men. Before either of them could speak, Ivy sprinted into the kitchen. <br/>“Food?” She said, her eyes looking manic. <br/>“Oh, good morning, my dear girl!” Aziraphale smiled at her. “How are you feeling?” <br/>“Better. Is there any more?” She asked quickly. <br/>“Of course! Crowley?” Aziraphale gave Crowley a pointed look. He sighed and rolled his eyes, pushing a full plate towards her. Ivy looked at him, confused. <br/>“Figured you might be hungry.” He sniffed and looked away from her. She hesitantly picked up the fork, then practically inhaled the plate of food. Afterwards, she leaned back and closed her eyes. <br/>“That was amazing.” She sighed in happiness. “Thank you.”<br/>“Uh. Yeah.” Crowley was so shocked by her gratitude that he didn’t know what to say. “Cool. Great.” He picked up the dishes and walked over to the sink. <br/>“So,” Ivy leaned forward, “I called Mr. Davis last night.”<br/>“You WHAT?!” Crowley gasped and spun around. Had he been holding the plates, they would have been broken into tiny pieces on the floor. “What the Hell made you think that was a good idea?!”<br/>“Wait,” Aziraphale looked from Ivy to Crowley in confusion, “who’s Mr. Davis?”<br/>“Her bastard guardian.” Crowley said quickly before focusing all of his attention on Ivy. He leaned forward and looked at her straight in the eye. “Ivy, listen to me. Everything I’ve done, while shitty, was to prevent you from having the shitty life I did. I will NOT let you go back to that bastard.” <br/>“You actually care about me.” Ivy sounded shocked. A moment later, she shook her head and looked at the two men in front of her. “That doesn’t matter. Right now, he’s coming either way, so you’ll have a load off of your backs.” She looked down, giving up her fight. <br/>“Ivy-“ Aziraphale started, but Crowley interrupted him. <br/>“Ivy, your stubbornness, that comes from somewhere. It comes from me. I’m not letting you go again.”<br/>Then, the door bell rang.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! Sorry about the unexpected hiatus. It was unexpected even by me. Mental illness is a bitch.<br/>Anyway, I’d like to start updating again. It may not be that regular, but I’ll try to keep it every week - every other week, but at first it may be inconsistent. I’m sorry, guys! <br/>Thanks to my wonderful beta ShesAKillerQueen98 for doin’ her thing.<br/>Thank you to all of you for reading!! Leave kudos if you like this and want more! If you comment, I WILL respond in a day or two. <br/>Love you all!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: CHILD ABUSE, DEATH THREATS, DISTURBING CONTENT<br/>Please be careful and take care of yourselves!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The air was full of tension as the doorbell rang a second time. Aziraphale adjusted his bow tie, and Crowley cleared his throat. <br/>“Sol,” Crowley said, his voice hoarse, “can you get it?” <br/>“Of course.” Aziraphale clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. <br/>Ivy’s heart pounded faster and faster as she watched Aziraphale walk towards the door. She closed her eyes and started to count the Fibonacci sequence in her head. As soon as Crowley caught a glimpse of Ivy, he saw her distress. <br/>‘Well, shit.’ He thought as he quickly walked over to her to comfort her, however, he had no idea what to do. Suddenly, he felt her finger tap his hand. He opened his hand and instantly felt her hand grip his. <br/>Aziraphale was greeted by a man with brown hair and bright blue eyes. He wasn’t particularly muscular or intimidating at all, but Ivy seemed to shrink back as soon as she saw him. <br/>“Can I help you?” Aziraphale asked. <br/>“Is Ivy here?” He said quickly and desperately. <br/>“Ivy?” For a second, Aziraphale pretended to think to himself. Then, his expression turned into one of ‘understanding’. “Ah, yes! She stopped by to use our phone to call her guardian. Are you her guardian, mister...” <br/>“Davis,” the man held out his hand, “Craig Davis.” <br/>“Mr. Davis!” He plastered on a smile. “I’ll call for her.” He looked over his shoulder and called for her. She looked at Crowley, then took a deep breath and stepped away towards the door. <br/>“Hello, Mr. Davis.” She said carefully, slowly walking towards him. He walked into the house and gave her a hug. She didn’t reciprocate it. <br/>“I was so worried about you!” He said tearfully. “I thought I had lost you and- oh.”<br/>As soon as Craig saw Crowley, he narrowed his eyes and pulled Ivy away from him. <br/>“You’re her birthfather, right?” <br/>“Yup.” Crowley sighed <br/>Craig narrowed his eyes. <br/>“This wasn’t any attempt to take her back, right?” <br/>“‘Course not!” Crowley snorted. “It was a closed adoption for a reason.”<br/>For a second Ivy looked hurt, but almost immediately the emotion was washed away by her expression of indifference. Crowley looked at her intensely and tapped his pocket, and she nodded slightly and tapped her own pocket wherein lie Crowley’s phone, before Craig turned around and took her by the shoulder.<br/>“Let’s go, babydoll.” He said in a calm voice. Crowley almost puked when Ivy responded to it. <br/>“Yes... daddy.” She spat the word in disgust. <br/>“Hey,” he took her by the chin and forced her to look up at him, “I love you, baby, and I’ll always take care of you. I’ll always be your daddy.”  This time, even Aziraphale looked like he was going to vomit. <br/>As they walked out the door, Craig put a hand on Ivy’s shoulder and she flinched. In that moment, Crowley wanted nothing more than to slap the shit out of him. The door closed and he growled in frustration. <br/>“Why do I care about her so much?” He groaned. “I wasn’t even there for her when she was growing up!”<br/>“Because,” Aziraphale slowly walked towards him with a small smile, “you actually do have a heart.” <br/>“If that’s the case,” he grumbled, “then I HATE it.”<br/>—<br/>As soon as Ivy got to Craig’s house, she tried to run up to her room, but he grabbed her by the wrist. <br/>“Why did you run from me, baby?” He asked. “All I do is care for you.”<br/>“I just...” Ivy swallowed nervously. “I wanted to...”<br/>“You didn’t want me to be your daddy anymore?” Craig’s voice started to get more and more angry. <br/>“I-“ <br/>“Then give me a kiss, baby.” He said, kneeling down to her level. She closed her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. When she backed away, he stood back up and smiled. <br/>“I would like to go upstairs, daddy.” Ivy said quietly, and Craig’s smile faded. <br/>“If you sneak out again, you will regret it.” He growled, then let go of her wrist. “Now, go up to your room. We can talk later. No dinner tonight. Next time you run, you’ll regret it more than ever.”<br/>Ivy nodded, then slowly and calmly walked up the stairs. As soon as she got into the room, she set up the phone that Crowley had given her to record her interactions with Craig, and waited for him to come upstairs. <br/>As soon as he did, she sat on the edge of her bed. <br/>“Can I please have some dinner?” She asked. “I’m very hungry.”<br/>“No!” He said, exasperated. “You will learn to listen to me, babygirl, or you will starve.”<br/>“But I’m so hungry!” She pleaded, standing up and eyeing the door. <br/>No. <br/>She had to wait. <br/>“I said NO!” He yelled, and slapped her in the face with the back of his hand. She fell to the floor with a THUD, yelping in pain. Suddenly, she felt a hand grip her throat. The hand squeezed slightly, and breathing became harder and harder until she could hardly take in a shallow breath. She was lifted to her feet by the neck, and Craig looked her straight in the eye as she choked. <br/>When he let go, he placed a hand on her cheek as she hacked and coughed. <br/>“You’ll always be MY babygirl, Ivy.” He said, then pulled her into a hug. “I will love you more than anyone else will. You remember that, okay?” <br/>Ivy nodded against his chest, and when he let go, she fell to the ground. <br/>“If you never want that to happen again, please don’t run away from me. I don’t like to do this. I only do this because I love you. More than anyone in the world.” He said as he knelt down and kissed her forehead. “Now, why don’t you get some sleep?”<br/>—<br/>Ivy didn’t sleep that night. She grabbed the phone that Crowley had given to her and snuck downstairs after she heard Craig snoring. <br/>As soon as she got downstairs, she looked for the backpack with all of her belongings in it, then realized with a sinking feeling that she had left it at her dad’s place. She swore under her breath and grabbed her shoes. Ivy began to slip on her shoes when she heard the floorboards begin to creek. She made a split second decision that her sanity and life was more important than her shitty shoes and threw them to the side before quickly opening the door and locking it, leaving the key in the lock on the outside. <br/>Her feet pounded the ground as she ran into the forest. She felt rocks and twigs slice the bottoms of her feet but she didn’t care. She had to get as FAR away from that house, from CRAIG as possible. After a while of running, she finally reached a road and sunk down to her knees. With trembling hands, she pressed on Crowley’s contact and the phone began to ring. <br/>“What?” Crowley sounded extremely annoyed. As soon as she heard his voice, she broke into tears, sobbing hysterically. <br/>“Ivy?” His voice changed into one of concern and shock. <br/>“H-help me.” Was all she could muster. <br/>“Which road are you on?” He asked. <br/>“Don’t... know...” she choked out. <br/>“Doesn’t matter.” Crowley said quickly. “Turn on location finder. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! Long time no see, eh? Sorry this took so long. I’ve been really struggling, but lately I’ve gotten back into writing. Updates will happen hopefully every other week. <br/>Most of my old readers are most likely gone, but if there are any left, thank you so much for sticking with me through this huge hiatus. I promise I’ll start updating again. I have a few prewritten chapters, so let’s see how this goes. I know this is short, but it’s REALLY intense and action packed in a small amount of time. Didn’t want to make it overwhelming, you know?<br/>Anyway, interactions with this would be a huge help. <br/>Love you all!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ivy rubbed her neck, still feeling Craig’s hand around her throat as she tried to compose herself.<br/>
“Ivy!” A male voice called, and immediately, she wiped off her tears and turned around.<br/>
“Crow-...” her sentence trailed off as she saw that the figure stomping through the woods was not Crowley. Craig raced towards her, his eyes blazing in rage. Ivy scrambled to her feet and tried to run, but she only got a few feet away when she tripped over a rock.<br/>
Before she could get up again, she felt a hand grip her hair and pull her up. She gasped, her eyes watering as Craig pulled her up to her feet. He stood right in front of her, his face twisted in fury, and as soon as she was on her feet, he slapped her so hard that she found herself on the ground once again.<br/>
“This is the last time you run, you little bitch.” He growled. Ivy was frozen in fear, unable to move or speak. “I swear to God, when I get home, I’m going to slit your throat.”<br/>
“No...” she tried to scoot away, “please...”<br/>
“Or maybe I’ll just break your legs.” He snarled as he stepped on her to keep her in place. “That way, you won’t be able to run from me. It’s less of a mess to clean up.”<br/>
With one hard stomp, Ivy curled up on her side, her arms over her head to protect from blows. Craig looked at Ivy for a moment, letting her catch her breath before kicking her in the stomach.<br/>
Suddenly, a car pulled off to the side of the road and out stepped Crowley.<br/>
“Ivy!” He called to the figure on the ground before Craig gave her another sharp kick.<br/>
“Oi, you fucking bastard!” Crowley ran over to the pair and shoved Craig. “Get away from her!”<br/>
“She’s my little girl.” Craig growled, stepping forward into Crowley’s face, “Mine. You won’t take her from me.”<br/>
Crowley ducked under his punch before landing a blow of his own. Craig fell backwards and tripped over a log.<br/>
“If you take her away from me, you’ll be arrested for kidnapping!” He spat the blood out of his mouth. Before Crowley could say anything, Aziraphale stepped forward.<br/>
“Do you know who I am?” He said in a calm tone with an undercurrent of rage.<br/>
“No, and I don’t care-“<br/>
“My name is Solomon Aziraphale. Recognize the name yet?”<br/>
Craig’s eyes widened.<br/>
“A-Aziraphale as in-“<br/>
“Yes. You see, we Aziraphale’s have... connections.”<br/>
“I-I’m sorry, sir, I had no idea-“<br/>
Solomon stepped forward and Craig scrambled back.<br/>
“If you call the authorities on an Aziraphale, do you know what happens?” He hummed, and cocked his head.<br/>
“No, I-“<br/>
“Those people tend to disappear.” Solomon smiled as Craig went pale. “We wouldn’t want you among those people, now, would we?”<br/>
“No, sir.” Craig shook his head quickly.<br/>
“There’s a good man.” Aziraphale held out his hand, and Craig hesitantly took it. Solomon pulled him up, but when Craig let go, Solomon gripped his arm tighter and pulled him closer.<br/>
“Know that we’ll be watching. I will be watching.” He whispered in his ear before letting go and smiling. Craig stumbled away, and Aziraphale glared after him.<br/>
“Thank you, sir.” A voice said softly behind him. Aziraphale spun around and saw that Ivy was in Crowley’s arms, shivering. A bruise had begun to form on her neck, and she sighed, laying her head on her fathers chest. She was completely drained, worn out beyond belief.<br/>
“Let’s go home, angel.” Crowley said, his face dark.<br/>
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry, my dear boy.” Aziraphale smiled at him. Crowley gently put Ivy in the backseat, then got into the car and drove carefully to avoid further injuring her.<br/>
Once they got to the cottage, Crowley got out and opened the car door. Ivy had curled up into a ball and fallen asleep. He took her in his arms, carried her up to her room, and gently placed her down on the bed. When he looked up, he saw Aziraphale in the doorway smiling at him.<br/>
“You really do love her.” He said in a whisper.<br/>
“Oh, shut up.” Crowley rolled his eyes and went down the stairs straight to the liquor cabinet.<br/>
“That man was truly the worst type of person.” Aziraphale said, shaking his head while he walked down the stairs. Crowley grunted and poured himself a glass of scotch. “I mean, really. I hate- and I don’t use that word lightly- people like him. Abusive, nasty little buggers.”<br/>
“You said you could make him disappear?” Crowley asked after gulping down his first scotch. “I think you should do it.”<br/>
“Crowley, you know I don’t like doing things like this-“<br/>
“When that man was stalking me, when that woman was harassing me constantly, you got them to go away by using the power of your name.” Crowley put down his glass. “Why is this any different?”<br/>
“You know I don’t-“<br/>
“Please, Aziraphale... Solomon.” He looked up at him, his eyes filled with rage and pain. “Don’t let him abuse another child.”<br/>
After a moment of silence, Aziraphale nodded.<br/>
“Tomorrow. Right now-“ he took the glass out of Crowley’s hand before he could pour more scotch, “we both need sleep.”<br/>
“Alright.” Crowley said with a sigh, all of the fight drained out of his body. He was exhausted, plain and simple.<br/>
Aziraphale took him by the hand and they walked to their bedroom together, but as Aziraphale got into bed, his mind started to spin.<br/>
He hated using his fathers network of “friends”. It made him feel like some kind of tyrant or dictator who ruled London in the shadows. After a moment of thinking, he realized that that was exactly what he was, as was his father. It made him sick to realize that when he used that power, even if it has its roots in the best intentions, it told the authorities and all of those in the upper echelon of society that he was still in control. Despite his family and his name, he didn’t want that. He wanted them to be free from his tyranny.<br/>
He wanted to be free.<br/>
Yet, there was always that voice in his head that told him that he had inherited a legacy to uphold. To lead the city as he saw fit. To control society and make it better. He had the power to do that. All it would take is a few text messages, and the bad eggs would disappear for good. Whenever he used someone to get rid of a “problem,” he felt GOOD.<br/>
All it would take is a few taps, and Craig Davis never existed.<br/>
Aziraphale rolled over and pulled the covers up.<br/>
That was tomorrows problem.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! So sorry I’m late. Been dealing with some stuff, but I’ll start doing updates every other Monday.<br/>Hopefully.<br/>I promise I’ll try.</p><p>Edit: Sorry for the short note! The holidays were crazy as they probably were for everyone. My brain has been REALLY foggy  as of late, but what can ya do. I’ve been so exhausted lately, but I’m trying really hard to get back on track since I’m going back to school in a few days. <br/>Kudos and comments are appreciated and cherished! <br/>Love you guys!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No!” Sarah slammed the door in Anthony’s face as he sunk to his knees. The sky was pitch black, the moon hidden behind the clouds. His breath was visible in the crisp night air. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself. His shortsleeved shirt and pajama pants would not be warm enough for him to last in the cold weather. <br/>“Of course, Anthony, you fuck up on the coldest night of the year,” he said sarcastically to himself, “very fucking smart.” <br/>He reached into his pocket, grabbed the hidden pouch, and threw it into the yard. Maybe some other junkie could find it. <br/>‘A bloody Christmas miracle for them.’ The thought was soon replaced by thoughts of survival. His phone was still in his room, so that was a no-go. The closest bus stop was about an hours walk away. How the hell would he survive the night?<br/>Well, the answer was quite obvious. <br/>Unless Sarah let him back in, he wouldn’t. <br/>—</p><p>It was noon before Ivy woke up. When Aziraphale came downstairs, he saw his partner half asleep in the sitting room staring at his phone. His pale face gave way to how tired he felt. <br/>“Crowley?” Crowley practically fell out of his chair as he jolted up, surprised. <br/>“G’ mornin’.” He said, yawning and stretching, his back making rather loud pops as he sat up straight. <br/>“Did you sleep at all, my dear?”<br/>“Sleep?” Crowley forced a grin. “I don’t know them.”<br/>“Crowley, you must-“ <br/>“I’m going to make breakfast.” He said quickly, talking over Aziraphale. Crowley sauntered over to the kitchen and began preparing food. Aziraphale followed him, worried. <br/>“Can we please-“<br/>“‘Can we please’ what, Aziraphale?” He said, opening the fridge. “If you say-“<br/>“Can we please talk about-“<br/>“Solomon, for once in your goddamn life would you leave me the FUCK alone?!” Crowley shouted, slamming the fridge door closed. “I don’t want a lecture about what I did wrong, or what I should have done! I can’t change it, and to be honest, I wouldn’t! I should have never let Ivy go, but I was stupid and 17! What the FUCK was I supposed to do?! I wasn’t going to allow my child to grow up in a house with a junkie and... and...”  Crowley leaned against the wall, his breathing heavy, fists balled tightly. <br/>Aziraphale looked at his husband with worry. He had rarely acted out like this before. He reached over to put a hand on Crowley’s arm, but the man quickly slapped it away. <br/>“I need some air.” Crowley said flatly before hurrying out of the door. <br/>Once Crowley had left, Aziraphale could hear footsteps from upstairs. Ivy was finally awake. He sighed, grabbed a bowl and took the eggs out from the refrigerator. He checked on the ones in front and was relieved to find that Crowley’s mishandling of the fridge did not crack them. <br/>When Aziraphale heard a small cough from behind him, he turned around, smiling. <br/>“Good morning Ivy!” He said, then thought for a moment. “Or , rather good afternoon.”<br/>Ivy gave him a weak smile. The girl looked almost sickly. She was pale and clearly exhausted, hardly able to stand upright. Her breath was shaky as she wrapped her arms around her.<br/>“What are you making?” Her voice was slightly raspy. The purple marks around her neck made the reason obvious. Aziraphale tried to control his rage as he turned back and began to mixed the egg until the yolk was thoroughly mixed in. <br/>“Scrambled eggs!” He said, trying to sound cheerful. “I’m rather good at cooking them.” He grabbed some salt and pepper. <br/>“They are rather easy to make, Mr. Aziraphale.” She said, clearing her throat. “I find it rather hard to mess up scrambled eggs.”<br/>Aziraphale laughed quietly. “Oh, my dear girl, you don’t give me enough credit.” <br/>Ivy laughed and for a moment looked happy. But it was only a moment. The exhaustion and fear returned, so Aziraphale decided to try and make her smile, but before he could even think of an idea, Ivy glanced at the door and told him what she feared. <br/>“He could take me back again at night. He’s tracked me down before, he’ll do it again.” She swallowed. “That man is a fucking nightmare.”<br/>“I know, my dear.” Aziraphale sighed, turning back to the eggs. “I know.”<br/>There was a long pause. When Aziraphale placed the eggs in front of Ivy, she cleared her throat. <br/>“You can make him ‘disappear’, right?” <br/>Solomon looked at her with a dark expression. <br/>“Yes.” His voice was clipped and harsh, but as soon as he noticed it, he forced a smile back on to his face. “But I’d rather not.”<br/>“Please.” Ivy looked up at him, her eyes filled with resolve and fear. “Do it. Do it before he finds me again.”<br/>Aziraphale sighed. <br/>“If I did this, it would haunt us both for the rest of our lives.” He said as he sat down. “Believe me, no matter how much you want it, it’s not worth it.” He thought for a moment. “He’s not worth it.”<br/>“But-“<br/>“Please understand I take no pleasure in saying ‘no’, but the first time my father made someone disappear for me...” he looked at his hands, “I never forgave myself. He had a family that cared about him but since my father was Abraham Aziraphale, the police force turned a blind eye. They said he ran away.” <br/>Ivy looked away from him, and for a moment he thought that she was going to scream at him, get mad at him, but all she did was sigh. <br/>“I’m going out to the garden.” She said, then quietly mumbled to herself, “so I don’t make you disappear.”<br/>Aziraphale shook his head. He knew she wouldn’t understand, but he had to try. She was too much like her father, too stubborn for her own good. He stood up, stretched, and looked out the window. What he saw made his jaw drop. <br/>Crowley was in the middle of the garden, and instead of ignoring Ivy, he was holding out a trowel for her. She let out a small breath and got on her knees to help her father plant his newly bought seeds. Moonlight sat next to Crowley, patiently waiting for him to give him pets. Aziraphale crept over and opened the door silently, just enough to overhear their discussion. <br/>“-it’s hard enough growing plants and helping raise an animal, so the thought of raising you... well, it’s daunting.” There was a moments silence. “But I’ll do my best.”<br/>“Wait, what?” <br/>“It’s time for me to take...” Crowley cleared his throat, “It’s time for me to take responsibility.”<br/>“How will-“<br/>“We’ll fill out the adoption paperwork and with Aziraphale’s influence Craig will no longer be on your record.”<br/>There was a pause. <br/>“Do you know why you’re named Ivy?” <br/>Ivy presumably shook her head, because after a second, Crowley continued. <br/>“It was because of my love for plants. While that seems small, a garden was all I had when living with your mother. It was something I truly loved.”<br/>Another pause. <br/>“The reason I gave you up wasn’t because I wanted to. It was because I had to.” <br/>Ivy cleared her throat and sniffles. She must have been crying and Aziraphale hoped it was tears of joy. “What do you mean by that?” <br/>“One day I’ll tell you, but for now...”<br/>Aziraphale stood in the doorway, waiting to see if there was any explanation, but after a moment he gave up. He closed the door as quietly as possible, smiling. <br/>Ivy was finally home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys!! We are getting to the point where I have no more pre-written chapters. I’ll still try to get them to you once every two weeks, but it might be a little iffy. <br/>Kudos and comments are appreciated but not required!! <br/>Love you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next night, Crowley woke up to get a glass of scotch when he heard sobbing from the guest room. He stepped quietly into the hallway and slipped in just in time to see Ivy cover herself with blankets. With a sigh, Crowley rubbed his bleary eyes and walked over to the bed. <br/>“Ivy-“<br/>“What are you doing here?” She asked as she looked over at him, eyes red from crying. There was fear in her voice as she sniffled, and she was obviously afraid of him. <br/>“I heard you crying and...” Crowley didn’t know how to say what he wanted to, so he just trailed off. <br/>“What do you want?” She pushed herself up and wiped her nose on her arm. <br/>“I want you to... stop crying.” He said awkwardly. <br/>“Why? Am I being too loud?” She snapped. <br/>“No, I-“<br/>“Are you gonna kick me out for crying too loudly?”<br/>“Ivy, what are you fucking talking about?!” He whispered frantically, trying his best not to wake his husband. <br/>“You...” Ivy looked at his face, reading his sleepy expression, “you’re not upset with me?”<br/>Crowley furrowed his eyebrows. <br/>“Why the hell would I be upset with you?” Crowley sighed, running his fingers through his hair before finally telling her the truth. “I was worried about you and you helped me when I a at was having a hard time at night so. I’m paying you back.”<br/>“Huh.” Was all she said, looking more confused than ever. <br/>“After this, we’re even, got that?” <br/>“Of course.” Ivy put on a fake expression of seriousness. “Our transaction will be complete.”<br/>Crowley cracked a smile. She definitely got her sarcasm from him. <br/>“Now, scoot.” He said before plopping himself down on her bed. She slid over to make room for him, then smiled. “What does that face mean?” <br/>“What face?” <br/>“The face you’re making right now. That smile. What does that mean?”<br/>“Oh, it means that I’m happy you’re here.” <br/>Crowley grunted. <br/>“And it means I’m happy you didn’t kick me out.” She added quietly. <br/>“Oh, don’t get your hopes up, kid.” He smirked jokingly. Suddenly, a look of hurt flashed across her face and Crowley’s eyes widened. “Ivy, that was a joke. I thought it was funny.”<br/>“Funny to make me upset?!” She said loudly before Crowley shushed her. <br/>“Funny because...” he bit his lip in indecision before giving up, “because it’ll never happen.”<br/>“Somehow I doubt that.” She muttered. <br/>Both of them were silent for a moment. <br/>“What helps you sleep?” Crowley asked Ivy. <br/>“Scotch?”<br/>Crowley snorted. <br/>“I’d rather you not have the same drinking habits as I do. Next?”<br/>“Um...” Ivy thought for a moment. “Good things. Good stories.”<br/>“Well, that’s more of an Aziraphale specialty-“<br/>“I’d rather hear your story.” She said. “Get to know you a little better. I mean, I never got to know you when I was younger, so why not start now?”<br/>Crowley sighed. <br/>“Okay. What do you want?”<br/>“Hm.” She thought for a moment. “The day you met Mr. Aziraphale.”<br/>“Uh, no.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s not really a happy story.”<br/>“Oh.” She looked at him in confusion. <br/>“Let me tell you about the most stressful day of my life.” Crowley said.<br/>—<br/>Crowley woke up to his alarm on his watch buzzing. He rubbed his eyes then slowly brought his arm out from under the pillow, glaring at the time. It was an ungodly hour to him, 6 in the morning, but it was a special day for Aziraphale and he wanted to make it the best day he possibly could. The red haired man got up as quietly and gently as he could as to not awaken his sleeping partner and went into the kitchen. Yawning, he set himself to the task of making Aziraphale a special breakfast of eggs benedict, which he started as soon as possible since he knew he would fail more than once. While he was the better cook of the two, Lord knows he couldn’t make a fancy meal to save his life. Something that he knew he would change. <br/>A few hours later, he smiled at his success. He carefully placed the meal on a lap desk and brought it in to the bedroom. Aziraphale was sitting up and reading a book when Crowley walked in. When he saw what his partner was holding, he blushed.<br/>“I was wondering where you were when I woke up and I rather expected to see you come back into the room with a washed head of hair,” he grinned as Crowley looked down in embarrassment, “not an amazing meal.”<br/>“As you wish, angel.” He placed down the tray and was about to go before Aziraphale wrapped his hand gently around Crowley’s wrist. <br/>“It was just a joke, my love.” He pulled Crowley down to him and gave him a deep kiss. After a few amazing moments, the two parted. “Did you make breakfast for yourself?”<br/>“I-I, uhm,” Crowley cleared his throat, flustered from the intensity of the kiss, “y-yeah I’ll go get it.”<br/>... <br/>As Aziraphale and Crowley walked down their favorite path, it became obvious that Crowley was getting increasingly nervous. <br/>“Crowley?” Aziraphale looked at his partner in concern. “What is it?”<br/>“What?” Crowley said, the word clipped short<br/>“What’s wrong, my dear boy? You look dreadfully nervous.” <br/>“Ah.” Crowley looked down and sighed. “I guess now is as good a time as any.” <br/>“As good a time for what?” Aziraphale’s face went pale and he looked around anxiously as if he were scared that he might be in danger. Crowley took off his sunglasses. <br/>“I- I had a speech prepared...” he knelt down on the ground and cleared his throat. <br/>“Crowley, what are you doing?” Aziraphale’s eyes widened. <br/>“... but I don’t remember any of it, so I guess I’ll just go for it.” Crowley reached into his back pocket and brought out a little box. Aziraphale gasped and covered his mouth, tears forming in his eyes. <br/>“Solomon Aziraphale, will you marry me?” <br/>For a moment, there was no response. Tears began streaming down Aziraphale’s face and his shoulders began to shake as if he was holding back sobs. Crowley quickly got up, cheeks bright red, and put his sunglasses on. He snapped the box closed, stuck it in his back pocket and shrugged, staring at the ground and trying to push back his embarrassment. <br/>“I can ask again later if that was too fast-“<br/>“No!” Aziraphale’s surprised voice was enough to shake Crowley out of his spiral of anguish. As Aziraphale brought his hand down, Crowley saw that what he thought was sobbing was laughter. “No, my dear boy.” He took a small box out of his inner jacket pocket. “You were too SLOW!” <br/>Crowley looked at the box, then to Aziraphale, then back at the box. <br/>"You..."<br/>"I was going to ask you at dinner. I had a nice little reservation set up at the Ritz. It was the table we had sat at the first time we went and-“<br/>“Aziraphale?”<br/>“I had it all planned out and-“<br/>“Aziraphale!” The light haired man looked at Crowley. There was a half smile on his face as he asked the question again. “Will you marry me?”<br/>“Of course, my dear, of course!” There were tears in his eyes. “If you would have me, that is.”<br/>“Oh, I’d be a fucking moron if I didn’t say yes!” He got up and brushed the dirt off of his pants, smiling wider than Aziraphale had ever seen. “Now how about that dinner?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! I am so sorry I’m so late!! I’ve been really busy with school and personal stuff. It’s been quite... interesting to say the least. I can’t promise frequent updates, but I can promise it’ll be as well written as it can be. <br/>Please leave kudos if you liked it and want to support this series! I will always respond to comments (like I’m about to do now). <br/>Love you guys!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Physical assault, abuse<br/>PLEASE be careful!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Crowley awoke to the sound of a woman’s screaming in the cottage. He practically fell out of bed in shock, breathing heavily, his heart pounding. For a moment, he sat in bed just trying to catch his breath. He had gotten back into his own bed after telling Ivy the story and crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow. For a moment, he chided himself for being shocked about hearing a woman’s voice. It was obviously just-<br/>“Oh, my baby girl! I’ve missed you so much.”<br/>No. <br/>She couldn’t...<br/>Crowley’s entire body tensed up. <br/>How the Hell could she have found them? It’s just a dream, it’s just-<br/>“Thank you, Mr. Aziraphale, for taking such good care of her!” <br/>There was no mistaking that voice. <br/>He shot out of bed and ran downstairs as fast as he could and found Sarah hugging Ivy tightly, a scene that would have been sweet if Ivy hadn’t looked so uncomfortable with the physical contact. As soon as she saw Crowley, her smile faltered. <br/>“Anthony.” She said, letting go of Ivy and plastering on a fake smile. “It’s so nice to see you again!”<br/>“I-I...” Crowley clenched his fists, trying to stop himself from shaking. “You shouldn’t be here.”<br/>Ivy stepped back towards Crowley and he instinctively stepped in front of her. <br/>“I’m her mother.” Sarah said, crossing her arms. “I have every right to see her. <br/>“You’ve seen her,” Crowley’s voice was shaking as he motioned to Ivy to go over to Aziraphale, “now go. Please.”<br/>“I am not leaving this house without my daughter!” She said, her voice stern as if she was talking to a naughty child. <br/>“Yes. You are.” Crowley said, stepping around her and opening the door for her. <br/>“How dare you?!” Sarah growled. “You’re the one with the drug problems, not me. If you think that she’s going to be completely safe in a house with YOU, then you’re dead wrong.” <br/>“Drug problems?” Ivy said, shocked and confused. <br/>“Yes, my darling. Your father... he’s very troubled.” Sarah glared at Crowley who quickly averted his gaze, looking down at his fidgeting hands. “He’s what lead to you getting taken away.”<br/>“No.” Ivy muttered. “No, he wouldn’t have taken me in if-“<br/>“He’s not safe, Ivy.” She said softly. “You should come home with me.”<br/>“No.” Ivy shook her head, her voice full of conviction. “Dad would never hurt me on purpose. I know him.” <br/>“Baby,” Sarah laughed nervously, “you don’t-“<br/>“And I DON’T know you.” Ivy looked at her mother with an icy stare. <br/>Sarah froze, her face filled with rage. She stepped towards Ivy when suddenly Crowley stepped between them. <br/>“You heard her.” He said quietly.<br/>“How dare you?!” She hissed, and before anyone could blink, Crowley was on the ground, a gash in his cheek from where she had backhanded him. Aziraphale was at his side in less than a second. <br/>“Ivy-“<br/>“You need to leave.” Aziraphale said flatly as he knelt next to Crowley. “Now.” <br/>“Fine.” Sarah grit her teeth in anger. “But not without my daughter.”<br/>“NO!” Ivy screamed when her mother lunged at her and grabbed her wrist. “I HATE YOU!” <br/>The young girl spun around so that her back was towards her mother, then stomped as hard as she could on her foot. Sarah yowled in pain but didn’t let go. Before the woman could retaliate, Ivy bit her hand as hard as she could. Sarah let go with a yelp of surprise. Once Ivy was free from her grasp she reached behind her and pulled out a kitchen knife. <br/>“Get out.” Ivy growled, wielding the knife in an expert grip. This was obviously not the first time she’d held a blade in a fight. <br/>For a moment, Sarah stood silently, gripping her hand and staring at the glaring girl. <br/>“The police are on their way, by the way.” Sarah said flippantly. “After all, you did kidnap her from me all those years ago.”<br/>“I’m glad he did.” Said Ivy, anger evident in her voice. “You’re a piece of shit.” <br/>The woman looked at her daughter in shock before Aziraphale spoke up. <br/>“You think the law will take your word against mine?” Aziraphale stood up, his voice cold and his expression dark. “I own the police. My word IS law, Ms. Donovan. Now, I suggest you leave before the police find out that you threatened the son of Abraham Aziraphale.” <br/>Sarah’s expression changed from a glare to a cold smile. <br/>“Mr. Davis sends his regards.” She said before slamming the door behind her. <br/>Immediately, Ivy rushed over to her fathers side, dropping the blade. Blood had dropped down his cheek onto his shirt. <br/>“Are you okay?” She asked, kneeling down next to him. <br/>“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Crowley let out a short laugh. “She’s done much worse to me in the past.” <br/>After a moment, Ivy flung her arms around him and began to cry. <br/>“I... I didn’t know, I’m SORRY, I’m so sorry.”<br/>“Sorry for what, my dear?” Aziraphale asked, confused. <br/>“She brought her mother here.” Crowley said flatly and pushed himself out of her hug, walking over to the kitchen sink and starting to wash the blood off of his face. <br/>“I didn’t know he’d tell her!” Ivy wiped the tears off of her face. “You can’t blame me for wanting to get away from him.”<br/>“So, you thought that that monster, Craig, would have let you go, hm?” Crowley dried his hands, turned around to face his daughter. “You thought it was plausible that he would just say ‘Oh, here you go! That’s your daughter I’ve been abusing for years! I’m sure-‘“<br/>“Crowley!” Aziraphale hissed. “She’s just a child.”<br/>“Well, she’s an idiot.” Crowley said, shrugging. <br/>“Crowley, stop this right now.” Aziraphale warned. The other man simply shrugged then walked upstairs and slammed their bedroom door. Ivy bit her lip, looking down at the ground. She had stopped crying as soon as she sensed that Crowley was seething. <br/>“I’m going upstairs.” She announced, not raising her eyes from the floor. “Goodnight, Mr. Aziraphale.” <br/>“Goodnight, my dear girl.” He smiled sadly at her. “Crowley will be fine, don’t worry. In the morning, he’ll be in tip-top shape.”<br/>Once Aziraphale had finished cleaning the plates and the cat chores, he went upstairs. Before he went into his room, however, he felt a strong draft coming from Ivy’s room. <br/>“That’s odd.” He remarked before knocking on the door. “Ivy?”<br/>When there was no response he tried the handle, but it was locked from the inside. <br/>“Ivy, please answer me. I’m deeply concerned about you.” Aziraphale practically begged. There was only silence. He silently swore to himself before taking out his master key and opened the door. <br/>His fear had been confirmed. <br/>The window was opened and all of Ivy’s belongings were gone. <br/>Aziraphale then said something he only said on very infrequent occasions. <br/>“Oh, fuck.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! I can’t believe I’m posting ANOTHER chapter already. I just finished this one and have a rather clear idea of where it’s going. Let’s pray that I get the writing bug again soon so I can write more! <br/>This chapter is where the serious angst begins. I need to add some tags, but there will be really rough stuff in the next part of the story. <br/>Thank you guys so much for reading! If you liked this, please consider giving this a kudos! I will always answer comments as soon as I can. I’m getting better at answering comments when they pop up so I should be better with that. <br/>Love you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: Drug use implied, disordered eating (not eating disorder)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was midnight. Ivy felt like she was going to fall asleep at any moment as she walked through the forest. It was peaceful at night, almost soothing. The leaves crunched under her feet and she wrapped her arms around herself. The temperature had been going down all night, and the brisk breeze made her shiver. It had been about 5 hours since she had left her fathers house and she knew she could never go back. <br/>Her mother was also a no-go, seeing how she treated her father. <br/>Craig was a definite no. <br/>She supposed that she could go to a homeless shelter, but they’d probably send her to an orphanage. <br/>God, why was she so cold?! <br/>Feeling too exhausted to walk any farther, Ivy sighed and began to set up a small area for sleep. It wouldn’t be the first time she had slept in the woods, but this time, it felt different. She didn’t feel happy to be free. She felt like her freedom was a punishment. Ivy looked up at the sky, blinking tiredly. <br/>“You don’t want to make my life easy, do you?” She asked. “You’re testing me.”<br/>There was no response. <br/>“Yeah, well, I’m sick of your bullshit. Every single one of these 12 years on Earth have been Hell. What do you want from me?”<br/>Once again, only silence. <br/>“I tried to believe that you were kind, helpful, caring. I really did. But you’ve put me through horrible things for my entire life. What next?”<br/>Why did she even pause? She knew there would be no answer. <br/>“Fuck you. Fuck your religions. Just... fuck you.” Ivy said, turning on to her side and closing her eyes. <br/>Maybe tomorrow would be better. <br/>— </p><p>24 Hours Later</p><p>Crowley pulled up to a house in the middle of the woods and flung himself out of the car, not even putting the Bentley in park. He ran over to the door and knocked, his entire body shaking in anger. As soon as Craig Davis opened the door, Crowley launched himself at him, slamming him up against a wall with his arm pressing slightly into the mans windpipe. Craig’s eyes went wide in horror and shock as he struggled to get enough air. <br/>“You-“ <br/>“Where is she?” He growled, gripping his shirt tightly. <br/>“Who?” Craig’s voice was shaking as he gasped. <br/>“Don’t play stupid with me, jackass,” Crowley drew one arm back and balled up his fist, but just before it landed, he stopped it. Suddenly, his enraged expression turned into a grin filled with cruelty. He pressed harder down on Craig’s neck. At this point, the man was choking, his face turning red. <br/>“Not... here...” he choked out. “Don’t... know... where...” <br/>“Crowley...” a distant voice was calling him, but he could hardly hear it over the blood rushing through his brain. <br/>Suddenly, he was dragged away from the nearly unconscious man. <br/>“CROWLEY!” Aziraphale shook him slightly. “She’s not here.” <br/>“She’s...” Crowley looked at his husband in shock. “No, she has to be here. He must have taken her.” Crowley tried to turn back to Craig, but Aziraphale kept him in and iron grip. <br/>“She’s not here.” <br/>“I... but...” Crowley looked as if he was about to throw up. <br/>“We’ll find her. She’ll be back home in a few days. She’ll be okay.” Aziraphale tried to reassure him as he lead Crowley back to the car, not bothering to close the front door behind him. <br/>“She has to be.” Crowley muttered as he got into the drivers seat. <br/>—<br/>Adam and the Them were walking in their forest when they saw a strange sight. All four of them froze in surprise. <br/>“Is... is that a person?” Brian stared wide eyed at the figure laying on the ground. <br/>“Is she dead?” Adam asked in a worried tone. As soon as he said it, he began to come up with a plan. “If she’s dead, we should try to block off the area around her. This might be a murder scene. If this is a murder scene, we have to remember this right now so that we all have the same story for the police. Alright?”<br/>“Actually, we haven’t checked if she’s dead yet.” Wensleydale posited. “Maybe she’s just tired.”<br/>“Well, this is a really weird place to sleep.” Pepper pointed out astutely. <br/>“I can sleep in really weird places when I’m tired.” Brian thought for a second. “I fell asleep on a sidewalk once.” <br/>“Guys,” Adam interjected, “remember what you see, then we’ll check.” <br/>All four of the Them closed their eyes, focusing on the moment. <br/>“Got it?” Adam asked as he opened his eyes. The rest of the group opened their eyes and nodded. <br/>“Should we just... shake her?” Brian suggested. <br/>“No.” Adam thought for a moment. “We need to make sure we don’t get to close so we don’t muck up the evidence.”<br/>The Them all nodded thoughtfully.<br/>“We can poke her with a stick.” Pepper posited, but instead of waiting with the rest of the Them, she grabbed the longest stick that she could find and walked close to the figure. <br/>“Hey,” Pepper poked the girl, “are you alive?”<br/>The girl grunted in annoyance and slowly opened her eyes. <br/>“I think so.” She said, slowly sitting up and yawning. The girl looked at Pepper, blinking blearily. As she spoke, the rest of the Them walked forward. <br/>“Are you ok?” Adam asked. <br/>“Yeah, ‘m fine.” She began to run her hands through her hair to get the leaves out. <br/>“Why were you sleeping in the forest?” Adam’s brow furrowed. “It’s not a very comfortable place to sleep.” <br/>“No, it isn’t.” She brushed herself off, then looked Adam straight in the eye.“I got kicked out.”<br/>“Well, that’s not good.” Adam thought for a minute. “You should have a nice place to sleep.” The girls face suddenly went pale. <br/>“You can’t tell anyone about me, or the person that kicked me out will come back and...” she thought for a minute, “he might kill me.” <br/>There was a course of horrified gasps. <br/>“You can’t go back there, then.” Adam said confidently. “You can stay with one of us.” <br/>“I’m sure my mum would understand.” Pepper held out her hand. “You can come home with me.” <br/>“Are-are you sure?” The girl looked at Pepper’s hand, then back to her face. “You don’t even know my name.”<br/>Pepper shrugged. <br/>“We take care of each other.” Adam said with a smile. “It’s what we do. Plus, if Pepper likes you, then you must not be too bad.” <br/>The girl took Peppers hand, and for a few minutes, they walked back towards Tadfield in silence. <br/>“Ivy.” The girl broke the quiet. “My name is Ivy.”<br/>—</p><p>1 Month Later</p><p>Crowley and Aziraphale sat silently at the table. Neither Aziraphale nor Crowley were very hungry, but Aziraphale began to eat nonetheless. <br/>“Crowley, my love, you need to eat.” He begged his husband. “This is the fifth day you’ve gone without food. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.” <br/>“Not hungry.” <br/>“Please-“<br/>“No!” Crowley growled and pushed away from the table. “I need to find her.” <br/>“What good will you be if you keep doing this?!” Aziraphale looked at him in desperation. “You can’t sustain yourself on cocaine and alcohol!”<br/>“How did you-“<br/>“Crowley, I’m not bloody oblivious when it comes to things like this!” The blond sighed, trying to calm himself down. “I can’t... I can’t keep pretending I don’t see it.”<br/>“I’m...” Crowley sunk back into his chair and put his head in his hands. <br/>“We are a family now, Crowley.” Aziraphale got up and walked over to his husband. <br/>“What if she’s dead?” Crowley asked quietly. “What if I killed her?” <br/>“Oh, Crowley...” Aziraphale knelt down in front of him and pulled him into a tight embrace. <br/>“With every passing day, my black clothes seem to be more and more appropriate.” Crowley sobbed. “I feel like I’m in mourning.”<br/>“We’ve done all we can do, love.”<br/>“No, I haven’t finished searching the woods yet.” Crowley sniffed. <br/>“It’s been a month.” Aziraphale said, his voice soft. “If she was in the woods, you would have seen her.” <br/>“I won’t stop, not until I find her.” Crowley muttered to himself. “I... I can’t lose her again.”<br/>“Crowley, you’re of no use to her like this...” Aziraphale leaned forward to touch his forehead against Crowley’s. “You’re... you’re killing yourself.”<br/>The two men stayed in that position for a long while, Aziraphale embracing Crowley until he felt the red haired man go limp. <br/>“That’s right, my love.” Aziraphale picked him up gently. The man was normally light as he was mostly limbs and not much else, but now his thin body had practically become emaciated. He hadn’t eaten a full meal since Ivy had disappeared. Fighting back tears, Aziraphale laid him down on the bed and sat next to him. “Sleep now.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey guys! It’s been a while! I’ve been pretty much drowning in schoolwork, so it’s been rather hard to write. I’m pretty happy with this chapter though. I’m debating upon how to end this, but I think I know. It will be a happy ending still!! I promise. I might write more of this note later today, but right now I just want to get the chapter out. <br/>Thank you so much for reading!! Please feel free to tell me what you think of the story so far in the comments! I will always answer them. If you liked this, feel free to give it kudos!! I’ll hopefully see you in the comments or the next time I update!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>